The Marine Corps Flying Hour Program at MARFORLANT
By: Edward C. Gardiner
Publisher: Naval Postgraduate School; Available from National Technical Information Service
Published: 1998
Place of publication: Monterey, Calif; Springfield, Va
Language: eng
Number of pages: 116
Description: The goal of this thesis is to determine the best way to manage the Flying Hour program (FHP) from the      perspective of the U.S. Marine Forces Atlantic (MAPFORLANT) Aviation Budget Officer. The thesis has two      main objectives. The first objective is to describe the organization and current financial management issues      related to the FHP at the Department of the Navy (DON) and MARFORLANT levels. An historical overview      of the FHP, an analysis of federal and defense budgeting dynamics, and an impact analysis of the Marine      Aviation Campaign Plan are provided. The second objective is to conduct quantitative analysis of selected      MARFORLANT data to better understand FHP cost behavior. Regression results are compared with previous      DON research to determine the suitability of Cost Per Hour as the most reliable FHP metric. Analysis      confirmed that there is a direct relationship between fuel and flight hours, but showed virtually no correlation      between flight hours and aviation maintenance costs. These findings indicate that regression models show too      much variability for them to be used to displace the DON OP-20 model as the primary means for budget      forecasting for the FHP. The thesis concludes that the Aviation Budget Officer must continue to rely on      qualitative budgeting skills to maximize the financial condition of MARFORLANT Aviation.
Notes: "December 1998."

Thesis advisor(s): Lawrence R. Jones, Shu S. Liao.

Thesis (M.S. in Management) Naval Postgraduate School, December 1998.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 109-114)

Approved for public release; distribution unlimited.

Also available online.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

System Requirements: Adobe Acrobat reader.

US Marine Corps (USMC) author.

dk/dk cc:9116 02/03/99